Reclining chair with frictional resistance adjustment



June 28, 1960 F. D. HOFFMAN, JR

RECLINING CHAIR WITH FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE ADJUSTMENT Filed March 19, 1956 1N VENTOR FRANK D. HOFFMAN JR.

BY Baum, LL 2, ,30%

ATTORNEY United States Patent RECLINING CHAIR WITH FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE ADJUSTMENT Frank D. Hoffman, Jr., High Point, N.C., assignor to General Steel Products Company, Inc., High Point, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Mar. 19, 1956, Ser. No. 572,346

1 Claim. (Cl. 155-106) This invention relates to reclining chairs, and more particularly to reclining chairs having leg rests whose movement is coordinated with the movement of the chair into reclining position.

Many types of reclining chairs have been developed in which a reclining member such as a seat, back, or seat-back member is moved with respect to a stationary frame structure into a reclining position. Many of these chairs include a leg rest member which is moved upwardly as the reclining member -is moved into reclining position. In such chairs, the movement of the reclining member into reclining position requires the application of a predetermined force, this force usually being supplied at least in part by the weight of the occupant of the chair. Since the weight of persons using the chair is a variable factor, the ease with which the reclining members are moved into reclining position in chairs of the prior art varies in accordance with the individuals using the chair. Thus, in using reclining chairs of the prior art, a person of light weight may find it more difficult to move the reclining members, including the leg rest, to reclining position than a person of heavier weight.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a reclining chair including means for adjusting the force required to move the chair mechanism into reclining position.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a reclining chair construction which permits adjusting the operating force required to move a reclining chair into reclining position in accordance with the requirements and desires of difierent individuals, as well as to accommodate the chair mechanism to persons of different weights.

In achievement of these objects, there is provided in accordance with an embodiment of this invention, a reclining chair including a seat-back member which is movable with respect to a stationary framework and a leg rest member which is connected by a linkage to the seatback member in such manner that movement of the seatback member to reclining position causes movement of the leg rest upwardly and forwardly of the chair. The operating linkage interposed between the movable seatback member and the leg rest includes a pair of pivotally connected links whose resistance to movement is controlled by a resistance adjusting device engaging these links. By suitably adjusting the frictional resistance adjusting device, the force required to move the chair to reclining position may be adjusted in accordance with the requirements or desires of the occupant of the chair.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section of a reclining chair mechanism incorporating an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation view of a portion of the operating linkage of the chair including the frictional resistance adjusting device of the invention; and

"ice

Fig. 3 is a view in enlarged vertical section taken along line33 of Fig.2. a

Referring now to'the drawing, there is shown a reclining chair generally indicated at 10 including a stationary supporting framework 12 and a unitary 'seat back struc-' ture 14 which includes a seat 16 and a back 18. In tbe embodiment shown, the seat and back are rigidly connected together and move as a unit. A substantially horizontally extending metal bracket member 20 is rigidly attached to stationary supporting framework 12 intermediate the height of the supporting framework and extends lengthwise or in a front-rear dimension of the chair. A second metal bracket member 22 is rigidly secured to the lower edge of seat 16.

Seat-back structure 14 is pivotally supported for move ment about stationary framework 12 bymeans ofa link member 24 which is rigidly attached at one of its ends to metal bracket member 22, and thus to the seat-back structure. The oppositeor lower end of link member 24 is pivotally connected to metal bracket member 20 on stationary framework 12 by a pin 26.

A leg rest member 28 is positioned at the forward end of the chair and is connected to the seat-back structure 14 by a linkage system similar to that shown in my prior Patent No. 2,693,845, issued November 9, 1954, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. This linkage system includm a lever member 30 which is pivotally connected at point 32 to the forward end of bracket member 20. A crank arm 34 is rigidly secured to lever 30 in the region of pivot 32 and extends substantially perpendicularly from lever 30. The combina-- tion of crank arm 34 with lever 30 constitutes in effect a bell crank.

The movement of seat-back structure 14 is transmitted to lever 30 by an actuating link member 36 which is pivotally connected at point 38 to the forward portion of bracket member 22 connected to seat-back structure, 14. The opposite end of link 36 is pivotally connected at point 40 to crank arm or link 34 in spaced relation to the pivotal axis 32 of lever 30.

A level member 42 is pivotally connected at 44 to the outer end of lever 30. The opposite endvof lever 42 is pivotally connected at 46 at the inner end of a bracket member '48 secured to the under-surface of leg rest 28. A lever member 50 is pivotally connected at 51 to lever 42 intermediate its own length and also intermediate the length of lever 42. A link 52 is pivotally connected to the outer end of link 50 at point 54 and to the forward end of leg rest bracket 48 at point 56. A lever 58 is pivotally connected at point 60 to lever 30 intermediate its own length and also intermediate the length of lever 30. One end of lever 58 is pivotally connected to an end of lever 50 opposite the end of lever 50 connected to link 52. The opposite end of lever 58 projects beyond lever 30 and is pivotally connected at point 62 to an end of a guide link 64. The opposite end of guide link 64 is pivotally connected at point 66 to bracket 20 on stationary framework 12.

The linkage system just described causes the leg rest to move upwardly and forwardly to an elevated position upon movement of the seat-back structure 14 to reclining position, as described and shown in my aforementioned prior Patent No. 2,693,845.

In accordance with this invention, the force required to move the seat-back 14 and the connected leg rest 28 to reclining position is controlled by a frictional resistance adjusting means generally indicated at 60. The frictional resistance adjusting means 60 provides a variable frictional resistance to movement at the pivotal connection 40 between actuating link 36 and crank arm 34 and includes an arm member 62 which is pivotally mounted on the same pivot 40 which connects link 36 to crank arm 34.. Ann 62 is disposed adjacent an opposite surface of crank'34 than that which link 36 faces. Thus, as best 1 seen in Fig. 3 crank arm 34 is in efiect sandwiched be- 'tgleenlink36andarm62a 1 '5 t i 1 [The upper end of arm 62 has an aperture" 64- whicl1 aligns .withia, similar aperture 66 inlink 36, and a screw 68. passes throughalignedyapertures 64' and 66. .A spring 7 biasingidevice in, theform of aspiral spring member;

70 is disposed coaxially about screw member 68. The inner Feud of spring 70 bears *again'stthe surface of link '36 while the opposite end" of .jspring 70'bears against a a a 4 a to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications maybe made'therein'without departing from the invention and, therefore, it'is aimed to'cover all such changes and modificationsta's fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. a a

What I claim as my invention "is: In a reclining chair assembly'includinga support,,lchair seat and back elements'fmou'nted for movement upon washer 72 which, in turn; bears against a butterfly nut 7 7 74 which isin threaded engagement with screw 68'.

Itcan be seen that by adjusting the position of butter fly nut74 along screw 68, the pressure of spring'70 can 7 be adjusted,ith'e amount ofpressure'of spring 70 in turn.

controlling the friction exerted by by arm 62 and link 36 n on crank arm 1M. The frictional pressure'of arm 62 and a link 36; on crank arm 34 in turn controls the resistance 'to move'ment ofv the reclining member'sincluding seatback structure 14; and legrest 28, relative to the station- "ary..supporting'framework 12, and of the linkage con- 'necting these. members. Bymoving' butterfly nut 74' inwardly along screw 68' tow'ard'link 36, "the frictional force exerted by .link 36 and arm. 62 'on crank arm'34 is increased, thereby requiring more force to move the chair to reclining position. Conversely, a movement of butterfly'lnut 74 along screw 158i away from link ,36'de- 1 creases. the pressure of spring 70 and decreases the frictional' force of link 36 and arm 62 on crank arm 34, thereby'reducing" the force necessary to move'the reclining'members to reclining position. Crank arm 34 is formed, as best seen in Fig.2, with'an enlarged portion 34' adjacent pivot 40in order that a relatively large frictional bearing area on arm 34 is located between link 36 and arm 62 throughout the operative range of relative pivotal V movement between arm 34 and link 36. It can be seen,

therefore, that the frictional resistanceadjusting' device 6 0.provides a means of adjusting the force required to move the chair to reclining position so as to accommo:

'date the individual requirements or desires of different'occupants of the chair and so as to better accommodate the chair to persons of varying weights.

While there has been shown 'and described a' particular embodiment of the invention, it will 'be obvious said support, and arecliningicontr'ol for controlling .movement of said'chair elements relative to said sup-port',

said reclining control including 'a'first link, a s'econdtlink,

and a pivot connecting said'second link tosaidfirstlink for pivotal movement relative to said firstlink in face portion of said second link engaged by said enlarged portion during relative pivotal movement of said, links, cou-' pling means at the other end of said arm coupling said arm to said second link for movement therewith relative to said first link' about said pivot, and adjustable biasing means on said coupling means biasing said other end of said arm toward said secondlink to frictionally grip said first link between said arm and said second link to. thereby exert. an adjustable frictional resistance to V pivotal movement of said'links relative to-each other and control movement of said'chairelements' relative to said support. l

References Cited in the file of thispatent" UNITED STATES PATENTS Deisher V Dec. 9,1924

1,688,576 Doyle, Oct. 23, '1928 1,776,418 Dujardin 'Sept.' 23,1930 1,822,260 Adams Sept. 8, .1931 2,617,670 Welsh Nov. 11, 1952 2,693,845 Hoffman Nov. 9, 1954 2,727,561

Bank et al. Dec. 20, 1955 a 

